Posts Tagged: tongue

This 'B' Gets an 'A' for Good Grooming

This "B" gets an "A" for good grooming. We recently watched a honey bee land on the edge of a planter. "Hmm," we thought. "Why is she landing there? She should be foraging on the flowers in the pollinator garden." We soon found out. After positioning herself on the planter, she proceeded to clean...

A honey bee lands on the edge of a planter and proceeds to clean her tongue (proboscis). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee lands on the edge of a planter and proceeds to clean her tongue (proboscis). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee removing the particles from her tongue so she can keep foraging. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee removing the particles from her tongue so she can keep foraging. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Am I good to go? The honey bee finishes cleaning her tongue and stares at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Am I good to go? The honey bee finishes cleaning her tongue and stares at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ever Seen a Honey Bee Cleaning Her Tongue?

We humans brush our teeth, and we sometimes brush our tongues. But have you ever seen a honey bee cleaning her tongue? Bay Nature contributing editor Alison Hawks recently asked two of our UC Davis bee experts why bees clean themselves.  Their joint answer is posted on the Bay Nature website...

A honey bee cleaning her tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee cleaning her tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tongue in Cheek

The honey bee nectaring the Penstemon, aka Beardtongue, in Tomales, Calif., didn't seem to mind my presence. Perfect. The amber-colored bee was foraging among the purple two-lipped flowers. The plant derives its name from what appears to be a "tongue" (staminode) poking from the "mouth" of the...

Honey Bee

HONEY BEE pauses after nectaring the purple Penstamon and begins to extend her tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Cleaning Her Tongue

HONEY BEE extends her tongue to its full length and cleans it with brushes of her hair on her forelegs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Caught in the Act

You may not know about Lavandula "Goodwin Creek Gray" but the honey bees do. They love lavender. That's one of the plants selected for the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden being implemented near the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. The...

Caught in the Act

CAUGHT IN THE ACT of nectaring lavender, a honey bee extends her tongue into the floral spikes. Lavender, a bee favorite, will be among the plants at the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, scheduled to open Oct. 16. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hoop Houses

HONEY BEE HAVEN--This is the site of the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden to be planted near the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, UC Davis. Ground preparation is under way. In the back are the hoop houses. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tongue-Tied

Blue merle mini-Australian shepherds have one. So do honey bees. What? A tongue. For a puppy, the tongue can symbolize pure happiness. For a worker honey bee: a solid work ethic. It's easy to take a photo of a happy puppy with her tongue hanging out, but not so easy to capture an image of a...

Happy puppy

Blue merle mini-Australian shepherds have one: a tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Industrious honey bee

Just like the puppy above, the industrious honey bee has a tongue, too, or what entomologists call "mouthparts." Here's a pollen-dusted bee in the UC Davis Aboretum nectaring a flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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